


Chasing Shadows

by Dionysus_is_my_bae



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe, Blood and Torture, Child Abandonment, Childhood Friends, F/F, Multi, Original Character Death(s), Wolf Faunus Ruby Rose (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:47:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23692612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dionysus_is_my_bae/pseuds/Dionysus_is_my_bae
Summary: How far would you go to find the ones you love? How much are you willing to give up to save the one person you love most?To Ruby the answer was simple. Everything. She'd give everything for Blake. But how much longer until she had nothing left to give?
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

It was a quiet, solemn night in Menagerie. One of the few where Ghira felt he could truly relax and reflect in the peace and tranquility of his home. He sat alone in his living room, sipping on the freshly brewed tea he had prepared a few minutes earlier. It was nowhere near as good as Kali's tea, but she had already been fast asleep when the urge struck him. So here he sat, drinking mediocre tea at best, listening to the crickets chirp and the grass rustle ever so slightly as the wind blew by.

It was in these quiet moments when he realized how truly content he was. He had everything he had ever wanted: a stable home, a gorgeous wife, and of course his pride and joy, his two month old baby girl. Just thinking about the feisty little bundle of black hair brought a smile to his face. He knew she would grow up to do great things, and he'd do everything in his power to protect her and make this a world she could flourish in. She was his inspiration, and it's no secret that she was the main reason he kept his title as leader of the White Fang. 

If it weren't for the little kitten that was sleeping the night away, he would have given up on the cause by now. Which would be a shame considering they were making leaps and bounds in their fight for equality. And while their battle was far from over, he recognized the journey they've made to get this far. There were a couple radicals here and there who tried to speed up the process, but they were few and far between. Still, there was one radical who was starting to become a thorn in his side...

He was pulled out of his musings by the sound of a baby's cry. Placing his tea down onto the table, he rushed to Blake's nursery. As he walked into the room he realized something was amiss. He could still hear the child's crying, but it wasn't coming from Blake. Thankfully she was still asleep in her crib, blissfully dreaming while she cuddled her favorite puma stuffed animal. Ghira stood in the doorway for a moment while trying to figure out what was happening. He made his way into the living room towards the front door, and made it about halfway when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Ghira...what's going on? Why's Blake still crying?" Kali's voice was heavy with sleep. Ghira smiled at her for a second before answering in a more somber tone.

"It's not Blake who's crying."

"Then who is it?"

"I don't know," He nodded to the front door "I was going to go find out."

She stared for a second before nodding in understanding. Taking this as permission to continue his search, Ghira found himself walking towards the door once again, this time accompanied by an extremely curious Kali. He steeled himself before swinging the door inwards. 

As soon as he did, he was immediately taken aback by the small wicker basket on the ground in front of him. It was obvious to both faunus what this was, though neither of them could understand why someone would abandon their child like this.

Kali was the first to react, slowly picking the basket off of the ground and into the house. The crying continued but it was starting to quiet down, probably due to how warm the house was in comparison to the cold night air outside. Slowly Kali reached into the basket, drawing back the red cloak that was functioning as a blanket over the child inside to get a better look. To her surprise, teary silver pools gazed up into her own golden eyes. Inside the basket was a darling little baby girl. She had fair skin and a messy mop of red hair. She was absolutely beautiful, but sat upon her head was a trait almost as surprising as the color of her eyes.

"Those ears...she- she's a wolf faunus." Ghira stuttered. 

"Yes, it appears so." Kali said in awe

"But I thought they all went extinct years ago!" 

"Well, obviously not if this little one is still around." Kali gently rubbed the small girls right ear, coaxing out a coo from the child. The baby grabbed onto her finger and it was then she realized there was something else in the basket with her. A rose brooch made of pure silver. Kali turned it over and found that there was something welded into it. It was short really, only a name, but unbeknownst to them, it would soon become well known across all of Remnant.

"Ruby Rose. Guess that's you, huh young one?" Ghira leaned closer to the basket. She turned to him and he felt a pang of affection shoot through his heart. This little girl was so small and innocent. She had no idea what she was just born into. No idea how many people would hunt her down the second they spotted those ears atop her head. No, all she knew was that she wasn't in the cold any more and that was good enough for her. Sighing Ghira turned to his wife, "What are we going to do Kali?"

"Well, I'll tell you what we're not going to do, we're not going to abandon her." She said with startling conviction. 

"Kali...I don't think that's such a great idea. We both know why they went extinct in the first place." Ghira argued, trying desperately to make her see reason. Unfortunately, once Kali had her mind set on something there wasn't much anyone could do.

"Exactly, which is why we can't just leave her to her own devices. She needs someone to guide her. To take care of her." She shot back at him.

"But what if they find out-" He couldn't even finish before Kali cut him off.

"What if it was Blake?" 

They sat there in silence. A sickening mix of shock and guilt washed over Ghira as if someone poured an entire bucket of ice onto him. He glared down at his wife, who glared right back with equal intensity. 

"It's not the same."

"Oh really? Because from where I'm standing they're both children that require love and affection to grow into the people they're destined to be."

"Blake is our child!"

"Blood or not these are both children, Ghira! They need protection! Even more so in Ruby's case. Wolf faunus don't survive out here. They don't survive anywhere!" Ruby started to cry once again and Kali realized just how loud she was actually being. After calming the infant, she lowered her voice and turned back to her husband. "Do you really think throwing her back into the street is going to fix anything? All you'll be doing is spilling more innocent wolf blood." 

Ghira was silent, staring into the silver eyes that turned his life upside down in a matter of seconds. "Okay," he sighed, "we won't abandon her, but only under one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"We can't keep her here. There are far too many faunus around here, and if they find out that we're taking care of her it wouldn't end well for any of us." Kali contemplated this term for a while before finally nodding her head. 

"Where are we going to keep her though?" Kali asked

"Don't worry, I have just the place. For tonight, just worry about making sure this little one is fed." Ghira looked at the girl one last time before placing a feather light kiss on her forehead. "Welcome to the family, Ruby Rose."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day Ghira wrapped the young faunus in the cloak and quietly exited the house. It was early dawn, far earlier than anyone would be expected to be awake. There was a mist hanging low in the street as the bulky man made his way towards the edge of the town. He continued to walk into the forest, cautiously watching for any rogue grimm in the area, before he came upon an old cabin. It was long abandoned, but it was in one piece. 

The door creaked open, allowing the panther faunus to peer into the house. Dust fell from the room and settled on his shoulder pads and coat, but compared to the amount of dust covering the entire house it looked spotless. 

Ghira placed the small wicker basket on the island in the kitchen and looked around for something he could use to tidy the place up. It didn't take him long to find the old broom closet and all of its wonders. Looking at his new project, the burly man sighed deeply and grabbed the mop and a large broom. He strapped the mop to his back and stood in the hallway peering into the living room. 

"Ok, Ghira, it's just a little dust. You got this." With his broom to the ground and determination in his heart, the raven haired man set out to destroy every last dust bunny that inhabited the house. He had no idea how long he worked on that house, but by the time Kali dropped by he had already finished the kitchen and living room and was halfway done with the hallway. 

"Wow. This place is really nice." Kali said, dropping a bag of what could only be groceries onto the floor of the kitchen.

Ghira smirked and leaned on the broom handle, "Well, you always say I clean up nice."

Kali chuckled as she made her way over to him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she drew him into a soft kiss. "Well, you do clean up nicely. I just wish you'd help out in our actual house."

Ghira laughed boisterously and unintentionally woke the sleeping baby only a couple feet away. Her soft giggle immediately drew Kali's attention. Smiling, the older woman walked over to the wicker basket and picked up the small wolf. Now seeing the little girl illuminated by the afternoon's light, Kali smiled wider. Seeing her so happy instantly made the need to protect her that much stronger. Kali wiggled her fingers around, causing the redhead in her arms to try and catch the offending appendages. 

"Well good morning, little rose." The child in question merely tilted her head in question and laughed again. Kali turned to her husband again, bouncing the baby girl in her arms "So this is where she's going to grow up, huh?"

"I can think of nowhere more fitting than the cabin where I grew up." Ghira said wistfully. Unfortunately, his face grew more serious as he continued, "I just hope she doesn't mind the isolation too much."

"I'm sure she'll understand once we explain it to her, but for now let's not focus on that." Kali placed a hand on his shoulder. Ghira relaxed at the touch and gazed down at the little faunus that was currently preoccupied with twirling around locks of Kali's hair. Smiling, he scratched behind Ruby's right ear, causing the bubbly child to laugh again. 

"Speaking of children, how did you manage to get out of the house without Blake clinging to your leg?" Ghira chuckled. 

"Oh, Elizabeth came over with her son for a playdate and I asked if she could watch Blake for me while I ran some errands." Kali explained, absentmindedly bouncing the baby in her arms.

"Those two are quite cute together, huh?" The burly man said, slowly lead the two to the couch in the living room. 

"Oh yes, Adam is such a nice boy. And handsome too. We'll have to watch that one, honey." Kali teased. Her husband appeared didn't appreciate the jest however, as he huffed and puffed out his chest.

"If he thinks just because they were friends as children that he has the right to date my precious angel, he has another thing coming." 

"Are you going to beat away all of her suitors with a stick, because our daughter is definitely going to be turning a couple heads." Kali shot back playfully 

"Well she definitely gets her looks from her mother." Ghira purred as he placed a kiss on his wife's cheek. Just as he pulled away, the golden eyed woman leaned forward to capture his lips once again. The kiss was short but filled with passion. 

"What was I going to say again?" Said a very dazed Ghira as the two pulled away from each other. Kali let out a hearty laugh before answering her confused lover.

"Something about your daughter's suitors, perhaps?"

"Oh right!" Ghira snapped to attention, "Those boys better watch out because I'll do whatever it takes to protect my kid." He said, assuming his previous puffed up posture. However, this seemed to intrigue the child below him as she tried to grab at the fluff on his jacket. 

He smiled again and ruffled her hair.  
"That goes for you too, little one. So don't go bringing too many boys around here, got it?" The baby just laughed again and continued to play with the man's jacket. 

Realizing she wasn't going to let go any time soon, Kali relinquished control of the child over to her husband, who placed Ruby onto his chest so she could play with the fluffy material easier. Kali smiled once again and made her way into the kitchen to retrieve the tea bags she had bought earlier in the day. A silence settled over the cabin as everyone was lost in their own little worlds. 

Quickly enough, the tea was brewed and placed into the mugs Kali had also purchased at the market. She brought the mugs to the table and placed Ghira's in front of him before she realized she made a crucial miscalculation. Apparently, the cleaning had tired the poor man out as he was fast asleep on the couch with an equally tired Ruby laying on his chest. Even in her sleep she clutched the white fur of Ghira's coat.

With a shake of her head, Kali sat down beside them and sipped her tea. A ghost of a smile graced her lips as she continued to ponder the little girl who just fell into their lives. She knew that this wouldn't be easy for the girl in question, but she had faith that she would turn out strong. The woman was determined to give the girl a family she could depend on, which in this day and age was hard to find in faunus households.

Sighing, Kali cuddled up to Ghira, who sleepily wrapped his arm around her. Placing her head on his shoulder, she drifted off into the realms of her subconscious mind, where she dreamt of a future with her two children side by side, enjoying a childhood filled with joy and love.


End file.
